A distillery, then a blender
William Grant had been book-keeper and later manager at Mortlach, and his family built Glenfiddich with second-hand equipment from Cardhu.1,2,3 A whisky crash in 1898 bankrupted the blender Pattison, a buyer of the firm's whisky, and cost the firm its largest customer.1,3,7 William Grant then began blending whisky himself, and the Grant's blend dates from that year.1,3,7 In 1903 the firm set up a branch office and blending operation in Glasgow.3,7 In 1909 Charles Gordon, his son-in-law and first salesman, set off on a year-long sales tour of the Far East.1,3 By 1914 the firm had more than 60 sales offices, supporting exports to 30 countries.3,7
War, Prohibition and new generations
Shortages during the First World War stopped production in 1917, and it did not restart until 1919.7 In 1920 William Grant kept making whisky despite US Prohibition, and after he died in 1923 his grandson William Grant Gordon had the firm make more.1,7,8 Charles Grant Gordon, a great-grandson of the founder, became a director in 1953.9,10
Single malt and its own grain
In 1961 the firm launched Glenfiddich as a single malt, the product of a single distillery, while most whisky sold was blended.1,7,11 After a quarrel with the Distillers Company (DCL), which, the story goes, threatened to cut off its grain whisky, the firm built Girvan Distillery in nine months.1,2,4 In 1964 it bought its own US importer and distributor, Popper Morson.7 In 1966 it added Ladyburn, a malt distillery inside the Girvan site, to make malt for the Grant's blends and free up Glenfiddich stock.12,13,14 Ladyburn was taken down in 1975, when the grain side of Girvan needed to expand.12,13
Sources disagree: the date. This page uses 1961.
More malt distilleries and partners
Kininvie opened on 4 July 1990 on the Dufftown site to make malt for blends, since Glenfiddich's output was kept for single malt.2,5,6 In 1992 the firm bought the closed Convalmore distillery in Dufftown for its warehouses, while Diageo kept the Convalmore name.2,15,16 In 1999 it joined Edrington to buy Highland Distillers, owner of The Macallan, Highland Park and The Famous Grouse, taking a 30% stake in the new 1887 Company.2,3,17 From 2000 Patrick Thomas ran the firm, its first leader from outside the Grant Gordon family.7,18,19 In October 2002 it bought Gibson's Finest Canadian whisky from Diageo.2,3 Thomas left in April 2003 after a board shake-up, as the family took back control.7,18,19 In 2004 Roland van Bommel, head of the Maxxium distribution venture, became chief executive.19 In 2005 it launched Monkey Shoulder, a blend of malts from Glenfiddich, Balvenie and Kininvie made for mixing.1,11 Ailsa Bay followed at Girvan in 2007, where Ladyburn had stood, as demand grew for its blends and for Glenfiddich and The Balvenie.3,20,21 Charles Grant Gordon stayed chairman until 2008, when he became Life President and Peter Gordon took over.10,22 In August 2009 Stella David, global marketing chief at Bacardi, joined as chief executive.10,23,24
Ireland, America and new leaders
In May 2010 the firm bought Tullamore D.E.W. from C&C Group.2,25 The same year it bought the Hudson Whiskey brand from Tuthilltown Spirits of New York State.3,26,27 Glenn Gordon, a great-great-grandson of William Grant, succeeded Peter Gordon as chairman in 2012.1,22,28 In 2014 it opened Tullamore Distillery in County Offaly, bringing whiskey making back to the town after sixty years, and bought Drambuie, a Scotch whisky liqueur.1,3,25 Simon Hunt, the chief commercial officer, succeeded Stella David as chief executive on 1 March 2016.24,27 In April 2017 it bought the rest of Tuthilltown Spirits, including its distillery in Gardiner, New York.26,27 Hunt stepped down in October 2020, and chairman Glenn Gordon and finance chief Giles Wilson took on his duties.29 Søren Hagh, from Heineken, was named chief executive from 1 January 2024, taking over from Glenn Gordon, who stayed on the board.30,31 On 1 July 2025 it completed its purchase of The Famous Grouse and Naked Malt from The 1887 Company, agreed with Edrington in September 2024.2,32 Hagh resigned after almost two years, his director post ending on 31 October 2025, and Graeme Jenkins and Doug Bagley were picked to lead the business.31